Yes, the Church will do the right thing

The Catholic Church has entered a new era of increased openness. I believe the Australian Church will accept moral responsibility for the actions of its clergy and offer compensation to the victims. The Australian population includes a high percentage of Catholics, and the Church owes it to them to ensure that the healing begins today.

Reform needed if sex scandals are to cease

There is a closed system within the Catholic Church, and within that system celibacy is required. In addition, there is a setup where someone in authority has private influence under young children. The whole system needs to be changed in order for the sex scandals to stop; the Catholic Church does not seem to be ready to make such sweeping changes.

Yes, they will.

They will excommunicate all the people involved in the scandal. This is the most severe punishment that they can take. Since the people involved have already been arrested by the police, there is nothing more that they can do. After all the bad publicity they have faced, they have no other choice.

Church Preservation Cover-up

I suspect the church will feel the need to sweep a certain amount of details under the rug and do its best to cover up yet another scandal. It seems to be the way the church prefers to handle this type of situation. Ignoring the situation doesn't make it go away.